Abstract
The traditional Irish ballad “The Lass of Aughrim” appears in James Joyce’s short story “The Dead” and provides both significance to the unfolding of the story itself, as well as insight into the frailty of human relationships and the human condition. The song, while appearing only briefly in the story, is the point at which the story drastically shifts. “The Lass of Aughrim” is central to the development of Gretta Conroy as a character, to an understanding of the complexity of Gabriel and Gretta’s marriage, and to the tension present in the “The Dead” which allows the story to communicate powerful and relatable truth. As Joyce said, the dead have a “wayward and flickering existence” that never truly fades.
Recommended Citation
Kapus, Allie J.
(2017)
"“The Lass of Aughrim” – Love, Tragedy, and the Power of the Past,"
The Kabod: Vol. 3:
Iss.
3, Article 6.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/kabod/vol3/iss3/6